Britain Is Going to Develop the Cyber-Weapon - Article Example

The UK is closely engaged in the development program to create a cyber weapon, capable not only to counter any cyber threats, but also make of counterattack. This was announced on Tuesday by Nick Harvey, a British minister of the armed forces. This is the first official confirmation of such a program in the UK existence.

This week, Chinese authorities announced they have similar programs.

According to Harvey, the UK needs new offensive resources in the case of cyber attacks reflection on governmental or other strategically important sites. “We need an arsenal of functional facilities, and we are working over this now,” - The Guardian UK quotes the Minister of the Armed Forces. The Minister stressed that the cyber-weapon will not replace traditional weapons, but he considers this type of weapon as an integral part of the armament of the country.

Harvey said that the authorities are aware of all the fears associated with the use of such weapons. One of the main questions: when and who will make a decision about a possible counterattack on any object. Harvey said that the decision about cyber-weapon use will be made by the same rules that exist for conventional weapons. “Cyberspace - a relatively new territory, but the rules, norms, and logic that are used in decision-making in other areas, are applied here,” - the minister said. “I do not think that the existence of a new field - cyberspace - will force us to act more aggressively than in any other space. Legislative arrangements, under which we operate, are time-tested,” - he added.

What kind of cyber - weapon is developed under this program, remains a state secret. We only know, wrote Guardian, that the main role in developing the program is assigned to the Cyber ​​Security Operations Center, and over time the Ministry of British Security will contribute to this work. In general, the program is under the direct supervision of Great Britain's Cabinet of Ministers.

Safety of information space has become the number one in last year's report about the National Security Strategy of Great Britain. In 2010, to ensure cyber security an additional 650 million pounds from the budget were allocated.

Not only Britain but US and European countries, including Russia, are concerned in recent years, by creating an effective defense against cyber attacks. Experts note that cyber security is becoming an important area that serves the strategy of these countries.

“In addition to China and Britain, whose government has officially acknowledged about creating cyber-weapon of the country, the US created the first cyber-weapon in its military structures three years ago,” -  Alexander Gostev said, senior antivirus expert of Kaspersky Labs. work of the organizers of these attacks,” - says an expert from Kaspersky Labs.

The Guardian believes the creation of the virus Stuxnet led British intelligence to accelerate the creating of effective cyber-weapon, to protect strategically important facilities from such an attack.

Harvey did not specify where can cyber threats do from in the near future, but he warned that “it would be foolish to assume that the West will always dictate the speed and direction of cyber-weapon development”. He noted that China, for example, improves the “modern armed forces and modern technology”.